10:28 PM,
Mar. 26, 2014

Written by

The Clarion-Ledger

The issue

Preschool is preparation for school. It's widely agreed a good, early grounding sets children up for success in grade school and beyond. Although legislators in 2013 created the state's first state-supported pre-kindergarten program, it didn't fully fund it - instead making available $3 million in matching grant money. Backers of mandating school districts offer pre-K programs could not convince legislators to fund it statewide but claimed a small victory; the state, for the first time, devoted money to preschool.Why it's important